In Rajasthan's mines, children like Nikki are working to carve out a future they never chose. Day after day, they endure grueling hours for a meager wage, all while risking fatal diseases. As the stones from these mines pave roads around the world, it's crucial to recognize the human cost behind them.
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00:00What do you want to be when you grow up?
00:03I want to be a labourer.
00:09And if you get a good job, would you like to become something else?
00:14Yes.
00:17I want to be a police officer.
00:20He wants to be a police officer.
00:22These craters are from the stone mines in Bijolia in Bhilwara district.
00:34A troubling reality exists here.
00:37Child labour fuels this industry.
00:40Nikki is 13 years old.
00:43He works here with his mother.
00:45He began working full time after his father died of silicosis,
00:49a lung disease caused by inhaling silica dust that can be fatal.
00:56In one day, we get 100 crates.
01:01How much do you earn from it?
01:03150 rupees.
01:05How much time does it take?
01:08It takes a whole day.
01:11When you earn the money and give it to your mother, what are you able to buy?
01:16What are the household expenses?
01:19We get a lot of flour.
01:22We get soap for bathing.
01:26We eat a little.
01:31His brother also joins him from time to time.
01:35Their mother, 45-year-old Prema Bai, was diagnosed with silicosis as well.
01:41Are you not scared that your son may get silicosis?
01:44I am not scared.
01:46I am helpless.
01:50I am helpless.
01:56India is among the world's top sources of natural stones.
02:00This includes stones such as granite, marble, sandstone and slate.
02:05The mineral-rich state of Rajasthan, located in the northwest,
02:09draws mining companies from across the country.
02:11To begin extraction, businesses must obtain a mine lease from the state government.
02:17Rajasthan has issued over 33,000 mine leases, more than any other state in India.
02:24The majority are sandstone quarries.
02:28However, environmental reports indicate that thousands of quarries are operating without licenses.
02:35This means a substantial portion of the state's mining industry is unregulated.
02:41In this mine, most people, including children, work six days a week under the harsh sun.
02:47Villages in this mining belt have come to be known as widow villages.
02:52Many men here have died from silicosis.
02:55Women and children are left behind to continue the perilous work.
03:00We will starve to death if we don't work.
03:03My husband died five months ago. We didn't even get money for silicosis.
03:08So, what is left behind is one woman with, let's say, five children.
03:13When the woman is working, you know, in breaking the cobbles,
03:16she gets only 1 rupee 50 paisa per stone.
03:19So, the maximum that she can do per day is 100 stones.
03:22So, 150 per day.
03:24Now, that is obviously impossible to feed six of them.
03:29Now, what we are looking into at this point of time is the wages.
03:33So, what they should rightly get is 300 to 400 per day, which they don't.
03:39As a result of which, you know, there are widows who say, like,
03:43what will I feed my children? Do I feed them with stones?
03:48Sandstone, a key export of Rajasthan, is a coloured sedimentary rock primarily made up of quartz sand.
03:55It is commonly used in construction and paving.
03:58In 2020, Rajasthan produced approximately 27 million tonnes of sandstone.
04:04The mining industry here employs nearly 2.5 million people.
04:09Durable sandstone paving is highly sought after in Europe and North America,
04:15where it's used on private properties, pedestrianised areas and some roads.
04:20In Europe, regulatory frameworks to prevent the import of goods produced with child labour
04:25are a work in progress.
04:28The EU's Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive came into force in July 2024.
04:35This requires companies to identify and address human rights abuses in their supply chains.
04:41Member states have until July 2026 to transpose the directive into national law.
04:47I feel the European market, the buyers, the people who are actually walking on those stones,
04:53I feel that they should definitely be responsible for what they are buying.
04:59When you talk about business responsible conduct,
05:03obviously you are talking about the entire responsibility for all the stakeholders.
05:08Now buyers being one of the major part of the story,
05:11I think that they should be accountable and responsible for what they are buying,
05:15where they are buying from, what conditions they are buying from.
05:18Back at home, Premabai shows me her husband's silicosis certificate.
05:22The Rajasthan state government provides a rehabilitation grant of Rs 3 lakh
05:28or US$3,487 to certified silicosis patients.
05:34It provides Rs 2 lakh or US$2,328 to their families in case of the patient's death.
05:42Widows receive a monthly disability pension of Rs 1,500 or US$17.50
05:50and families with minor children qualify for benefits under another scheme.
05:55Premabai says she has not received any assistance.
05:59Today is my 8th or 7th year, but I have not received any help.
06:03Sometimes I even go hungry.
06:05I don't have any money.
06:08Even now I am in such a condition that I don't have money for my birth.
06:12I am the only one who is suffering.
06:15I have children and they go to work in the sun.
06:18I also feel sad.
06:21What can I do? I am helpless.
06:24I also feel sad.
06:26I don't have anyone to earn.
06:29Indian labour law bans children under 14 years of age from working in any occupation.
06:35Between 14 and 18, teens are permitted to work but not in factories, mines and other hazardous occupations.
06:43However, enforcement is often lax and inconsistent.
06:48Although no official government statistics exist,
06:51a recent UNICEF report quotes a 2018 survey showing that there could be close to an estimated
06:585 million children aged 5 to 17 engaged in some sort of economic activity,
07:06close to 2% of all the children in India.
07:10I am very sad to say that nothing concrete has been yet done from the part of the government.
07:17For example, I'll tell you, of course this is not only on child labour,
07:21it's about the welfare of the community by and large.
07:23Addressing this issue requires global awareness
07:27and collective action to end child labour and improve working conditions.